Slowly but surely Christmas is on its way, which mean lots of festive treats like chocolate coins, family sized biscuit tins, mince pies, gingerbread men, Christmas cake and many more Christmas shaped treats (oh and not forgetting the advent calendar).

When you put it like that its sounds like we actively eat as many Christmas treats as possible, but it just happens, right? ‘It’s Christmas after all’ is the common reply to the indulgence of excess. The key word there is EXCESS, but believe me, excess can be controlled or even balanced by a few simple actions.

First we need to understand what the excess is and how this affects us. The major culprit is SUGAR! (no surprise), it’s in all of our favourite Christmas treats and it just seems that we can’t get enough of it. Most of these treats are made up of simple sugars causing a spike in our blood sugar levels, insulin is then released to bring the sugar levels down, but this dips below the normal level. It is at this point where you might start feeling peckish and reach for sugary treats to bring your sugar levels back up again. This cycle can easily lead to excess calories, causing weight gain over the Christmas period.

The danger is that during the Christmas period the choice of treats are more abundant and more tempting than any other time of the year. Christmas isn’t one day like Halloween or a bank holiday weekend but literally a festive period lasting several weeks which means more treats (and excuses).

However not all doom & gloom, it can be controlled with some simple steps without you missing out on the festive fun. You could try balancing the days by allowing yourself one day to eat as you wish and the next day making the effort to eat healthier, by choosing to eat more vegetables and wholemeal based foods, which are high in fibre and low in sugar.

Aaron gets Christmassy

Let’s say you decide to have a slice of rich chocolate cake, instead of your usual generous slice, you could have half the amount and add a handful of nuts & seeds. Two things are happening here, you’re consuming less sugar as your eating less cake and secondly you’re adding protein and good fats to your treat. By doing this you reduce the sugar spike and should feel fuller due to the protein.

If you are going to have sugary treats, it would be advisable to drink water with it as this will help you keep a level of fullness, thus you would be less tempted to eat more. A more important reason is that when blood sugar levels are high, water is needed to help flush out the excess glucose via the kidneys. If however you are not drinking much water, it then comes from the body, which can quickly lead to dehydration and the feeling of tiredness (usually solved by sugary drinks). A vicious cycle right?

If you really feel that you can’t give up all these Christmas treats, how about for every treat you eat you tally up 10 minutes of exercise, which then must be completed within 48 hours. For example, 5 Christmas treats = 50minutes of exercise (jogging). This can be a great way balance the calories if you like and avoid the weight gain many of us go through during the Christmas period.

So there you have it, you can still enjoy the indulgence of Christmas while limiting the effects of excess sugar.